No matter how skilled a fighter is, selling tickets and generating interest is just as crucial in the UFC. That has become the reality of Dana White’s MMA juggernaut, where fighters often take unconventional routes to stand out—adopting over-the-top personas to capture attention. It’s show business after all! Conor McGregor is a prime example of this, using his brash personality and charisma to skyrocket to superstardom. However, one of the sport’s true icons and the Irishman’s former arch-nemesis Nate Diaz, has always taken a different approach—staying unapologetically true to himself.

Stockton’s favorite son is as authentic as they come, and that raw, unfiltered persona has earned him the respect of fellow fighters, including former 170lbs title challenger Stephen Thompson. In a recent conversation with former light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, ‘Wonderboy’ reflected on the current landscape of UFC personalities. Jackson, known for his outspoken and unpredictable nature during his PRIDE days in Japan, admitted that his unfiltered personality may have rubbed some people the wrong way.

However, Thompson saw it differently. He praised Jackson for staying true to himself, much like Nate Diaz, who has remained the same from the start of his MMA career to this day. “That’s what makes you you, bro. That’s you, man. It’s like, I respect like Nate Diaz because he ain’t changed for nobody. He’s not pretending to be something he’s not,” Thompson stated during a recent episode of the JAXXON Podcast.

As Quinton Jackson responded by saying, “Yeah, he’s an OG right there. He’s real OG,” he appeared to have the same level of respect for Nate Diaz as Thompson. ‘Wonderboy’ further added, “Obviously, it’s a business. Obviously, everybody’s trying to be the Conor McGregor, but you know who’s real and who ain’t, and you gotta respect that.”

Well, keeping it real is one thing because another veteran has shared his views about Nate Diaz. This time, it was King Green, who showered praise on the Stockton native for how he’s been able to be a professional fighter for so long. Here’s what he had to say.

King Green praised Nate Diaz for his career longevity

Nate Diaz has been fighting for almost nearly two decades, making his professional debut in 2006 under the WEC banner. While many fighters have fought for way longer than the Stockton native, not many have been competing at the highest level like Diaz has. King Green, before his UFC 313 fight against Mauricio Ruffy, mentioned how he had been inspired by the former UFC fighter, among others, for being able to stay at the top of the MMA world for so long as he’s also in his late 30s.

“To keep doing this and chugging along, that’s when my hat’s off to Tony Ferguson, Nate Diaz, Jim Miller, and those guys that are really f—-ing true fighters to the end. We fought the young, the next generation, and the next generation,” King Green stated.

Well, Nate Diaz is currently 39 years old and may not have many years left to fight world-class up-and-coming fighters. While he’s been considering fights outside of the MMA realm, like his boxing match against Jake Paul, he still plans to make a comeback to MMA, and Dana White seems to have no problem in welcoming the former UFC star back into his promotion. It remains to be seen how things pan out for Diaz in the future!